Baby elephant unveiled at Pittsburgh Zoo after early arrival

June 8, 2017

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) — The city of Pittsburgh is showing off a popular and rather large premature baby for the very first time.

A baby elephant at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium made its long-awaited debut Tuesday morning. ABC affiliate WTAE says she weighed in 52 pounds below the median birth weight since she was born early.

WTAE says her mother, Seeni, was rescued along with three other elephants from Botswana in 2011.

Willie Theison, elephant manager at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and International Conservation Center, told WTAE they were shocked to find the baby elephant last week. “Seeni wasn’t expected to calve until the end of June, so to walk in in the morning and see this tiny little elephant attempting to stand on wobbly legs was a total surprise.”

The elephant is still unnamed and won’t be on exhibit for several months, according to WTAE.